Thrilling British GT Championship Race Ends in Alpine Clash
In a captivating turn of events at the iconic Circuit de Monaco, the Alpine duo of Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon enjoyed their best qualifying performance of the season, securing 10th and 11th place on the grid respectively. However, the race did not unfold without drama, as the two teammates found themselves embroiled in a controversial incident that left one car in the barriers.
The race started with an unexpected twist, as a puncture for Carlos Sainz promoted the Alpine cars to 9th and 10th positions. Eager to capitalize on this opportunity, Ocon made a bold move, diving down the inside of Gasly at the Portier corner. The resulting contact caused Ocon’s car to become airborne, resulting in suspension and gearbox damage upon landing, forcing him to retire from the race.
Despite the setback, Gasly was able to continue, although he had suffered a puncture to his hard tire. The timely introduction of the red flag allowed him to switch to a set of fresh medium tires, which he then had to carefully manage to the finish. Gasly’s perseverance paid off as he crossed the line in 10th position, scoring his first championship point of the season.
“It was very unnecessary; you should never have such a situation, especially between team-mates.”
Commenting on the incident, a visibly disappointed Gasly expressed his frustration, emphasizing the clear pre-race instructions for the teammates to work together, with the trailing car tasked with assisting the leader throughout the race.
Ocon took to social media to take responsibility for the incident, acknowledging that the gap was too small and apologizing to the team. The stewards have since awarded Ocon a five-place grid penalty for the upcoming Canadian Grand Prix.
As the British GT Championship heads to the next round, the Alpine team will be keen to put this incident behind them and focus on securing a stronger team result, where “a point or two might be crucial at the end of the year,” as Gasly highlighted.
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